


The Great Destroyer

by to_the_wick (Jei_Stark)



Series: Pressure Suit [12]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-11 16:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/800545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jei_Stark/pseuds/to_the_wick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stane wasn't Obi anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Great Destroyer

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Pressure Suit fanmix covering the entirety of the first Iron Man movie, this fic was written to the song "The Great Destroyer" by Nine Inch Nails.

_Hold your breath.  
Wait until you know the time is right on time.  
The end is near.  
I hope they cannot see  
The limitless potential  
Living inside of me  
To murder everything._  
  
There was a definite line in the sand with most businessmen: they didn't dirty their own hands. It might have been a way of rationalizing the murder they'd indirectly perform overseas with weapons they'd commission and create and ship out, all in the name of capitalism disguised as patriotism. It was okay to be _indirectly_ responsible -- maybe they even glorified it as a necessary stain for the greater good -- but they'd never hold the gun themselves, would never pull that trigger. There was something to say about plausible deniability, too.  
  
So of course when Stane (he wasn't Obi anymore, hadn't been since _who do you think filed the injunction against you_ ) casually hit him with the neural paralyzer and carefully plucked out the reactor, Tony knew the man was gone. Because murder makes an absurd sort of sense in third world countries, and he'd even gotten the occasional crazy threat thanks to being in the public eye so damn much, but to have this done in his own home? By a man who watched him grow up, even? How long had the fucker been _planning_ this? How long had it been since Stane casually strolled across that line in the sand and seriously thought a viable option would be to kill a man with his own two hands?  
  
Tony only gave himself until Stane left to ponder these things (because concentrating on his words wasn't something he wanted to do anymore), but when the lunatic was finally gone, he started concentrating on more important things. Like making it to the elevator, and the first miniature reactor encased in glass down in the workshop.  
  
He pretended the burning ache in his chest was anger. He was half right.


End file.
